The age old question has finally been answered: women ARE more tired than men...if they do shift work, that is. A team of researchers at the Surrey Sleep Research Centre 'desynchronised' the sleep and wake cycles of 16 men and 18 women in an attempt to study the effect of a 28-hour day, mimicking a typical day of shift work. They found women were far more likely to be cognitively affected by the schedule than men.

The study

Participants were placed in a controlled environment where the natural 24-hour light/dark cycle was eliminated. While awake, the men and women were tested using EEGs every three hours on attention, motor control and working memory. They also provided self-assessments on their sleepiness, mood and effort.

All participants were found to be more emotionally sensitive and cognitively impaired from the extended waking hours but women showed larger cognitive impairments than men during the early morning hours. When put into real-life context, this would be during end of a typical night shift.

Female-first representation

Sleep studies have often been criticised for under-representing the female population, with this research being the very first to investigate the difference in circadian regulation between men and women. Co-author, Dr Nayantara Santhi from the University of Surrey, said,

"We show for the first time that challenging the circadian clock affects the performance of men and women differently. Our research findings are significant in view of shiftwork-related cognitive deficits and changes in mood."

Of course, these findings have significant relevancy among British workers. While 1 in 8 the British workers are reportedly working at night in 2015, the sectors that have the highest proportion of night workers are female-dominated (care workers, nursing & midwifery).

There's been a lot of research into the negative effects shift work has on our health and wellbeing. Shift workers are more likely to be obese, depressed, smoke and generally have poor health. Harvard Medical School and the Brigham Women's Hospital in Boston looked solely at the effect of shift work on women and found that death from cardiovascular disease was 19% higher for women who worked night shift more than five years. The negative health effects not only stem from the disruption in their circadian rhythms but also their difficulty in establishing a consistent lifestyle, making it harder for them to eat healthily and maintain social relationships. The lack of regular quality sleep can disrupt hormone production, particularly insulin, which can increase the risk of a number of diseases including diabetes.

How to minimise the effects of shift work

The good news is, if you work shifts, there are things you can do to minimise these risks. Sleep specialist and psychologist Chireal Shallow, from the Henry Potter Advisory Committee for Potter's Herbals, says:

Go to bed as soon as you finish work

When you get home, start winding down with a warm non-caffeinated drink, have a warm bath to relax and read a book in bed

Turn off all devices and go to the quietest, darkest room in the house

Keep a routine and let this become your pattern so your body gets used to these cues and you get your mind and body in line with sleep

Remember, the best way to promote healthy sleeping is to make sure you are calm before you go to bed

Ensure you get at least six hours of sleep

Eat well and ensure you refrain from drinking alcohol or sugary drinks before sleep, give yourself at least four hours

Put your to-do list off until you have slept. Prioritise sleep as it is important and you can't function well if you do not get the required hours

Use sleep aids such as mindfulness meditation tapes and natural calming remedies to help you drift off

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